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A 5-month, parent-delivered massage intervention has been proven in scientific studies over the past 9 years to lessen the severity of autism and improve sensory and self-regulation problems in preschool aged children with autism, according to a statement from Louisa Silva, MD, lead researcher, Teacher Research Institute at Western Oregon University, Salem, Ore.

Known as the Qigong (chee-gong) Sensory Training Home Program, and based on principles of Chinese medicine, research documenting its effectiveness has been published in Eastern and Western scientific journals, recently including the American Journal of Occupational Therapy.

In this intervention, parents are trained to give their child a daily, 15-minute massage that is tuned to their child's particular physical reactions to touch on different parts of their body. Within a few months, the children relax, open up, and participate more in home and school life, and as sensory sensitivities disappear, behavior and tantrums improve, according to the statement. As key symptoms of autism disappear--eg, avoiding eye contact and not being curious about social encounters--social and language learning increases.

This program is equally effective in low-functioning as in high-functioning children, said Silva. By 5 months of treatment, data shows: parent stress decreased by 32%, autistic behavior decreased by 26%, sensory and self-regulation problems decreased by 28%, and overall autism decreased by 18%. Parents continuing the massage for another year or two, reported continued improvements in their children's growth and development.

Research shows an impairment of sensory regulation underlies the developmental delays and abnormal behaviors seen in autism, Silva said, adding that the sooner that sensory problems can be addressed the sooner that development and behavior get back on track.

Thousands of years of experience with Qigong massage in China show that the younger the child is, the more effective it is, according to Silva. "That is why we strongly recommend it as a first-line early intervention as soon as a diagnosis of autism is suspected," Silva said.

"Through the last decade of working with parents, we have found that the success of this program depends on one main thing: the parents get the massage into the daily routine and keep it there for 5 months. With that, both parent and child relax and enjoy the time together."

Silva created the nonprofit Qigong Sensory Training Institute to coordinate treatment, training, and research for young children with autism.

Her goal is to make low-cost training available to parents of children with autism. Supporting her goal, she has released a new book, Helping Your Child with Autism, A Home Program from Chinese Medicine, ISBN-13: 978-0-9821280-0-8. The book includes an instructional DVD and is a step-by-step instructional for parents to treat their children at home.

"The particular form of Qigong massage that we recommend is called Qigong Sensory Training, or QST for short. It is one of hundreds of possible massage routines used by Chinese medicine to treat illness, and it is specific for autism and sensory problems", said Silva.

A Western Oregon University researcher has recently authored a new book for parents of children with autism.

The book is called "Helping Your Child with Autism, A Home Program from Chinese Medicine" by Dr. Louisa Silva. The book was released for publication in March.

Silva is part of the Teaching Research Institute at Western Oregon University. She lives in South Salem.

Through her work, Silva developed a training and support program in which parents give their children with autism qigong massage. Silva also created the nonprofit Qigong Sensory Training Institute.

Online:

For information, go to www.qsti.org.

By Paige O'Rourke
Western Oregon Journal

Located on Western's campus, the Eugene branch of the Teaching Research Institute (TRI) was recognized this year as a Center of Excellence by the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation (SJBF), a national organization that provides aid to children and the families of children who have been diagnosed with Pediatric Acquired/Traumatic Brain Injury (PA/TBI). PA/TBI results from severe head trauma, such as can occur from a car crash, a sports injury or other extreme circumstances, as well as within non-traumatic cases, such as substance abuse, strokes, tumors and poisoning. TBI occurs most often in young children for whom the brain is still fragile. Nevertheless, because the brain continues to develop until an individual's mid-20s, even young adults can fall victim to TBI.

Within the United States, PA/TBI has been labeled the leading cause of death for children and young adults from birth to 25 years of age by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Despite this revelation, a central research and rehabilitation center still does not exist for PA/TBI patients. However, with the aid of teaching research institutes from around the nation, the SJBF is looking to change all of that.

Established in October 2007, the SJBF was founded by Patrick Donahue, the father of Sarah Jane, a 4-year-old girl who was severely shaken by her nurse when she was only 5 days old. As a result of this traumatic experience, Sarah Jane sustained three broken ribs, a broken collarbone and now suffers from a severe brain injury and is unable to walk, talk, crawl or sit up on her own like other children her age.

With foundation branches in several states across the country, the SJBF hopes to increase both national awareness and the number of services provided to individuals and the families of individuals diagnosed with PA/TBI.

"The SJBF was established because currently, when a child receives a TBI, parents have nowhere to go for information and guidance," Senior fellow and research professor Ann Glang stated. "No one can tell them what the most effective medical treatment is. In many areas, no services are available when the child is discharged from the hospital, [and] when services exist, they are scattered across a number of agencies and are difficult for parents to access."

Glang explained that each Lead Center for the Foundation will focus on seven areas of service, including "prevention, medical care, TBI identification, assessment and treatment, community reintegration and long-term care and transition to adulthood."
"As a 'Center of Excellence', the faculty and staff of the TRI's Eugene office have been recognized for their ongoing leadership, research and service to individuals with TBI," TRI Director John Killoran stated. "This expertise has contributed to the conceptualization and development of the national service system for children."
Established in the 1960s, the Eugene Branch of the TRI was once run by the Oregon University System before it found a new home on Western's campus in 1989. "As the National Lead Center on Community Reintegration and long-term care, TRI Eugene provides a model for other states in coordinating community-based services for children with TBI and their families," Glang stated. "The model incorporates comprehensive case management, training to build the capacity of educators and agency personnel to provide effective services, and technical assistance and advocacy to address urgent care needs."

In recent years, advancements have been made with regards to TBI treatment as a result of new research, techniques and technology. "Improvements in procedures at the scene of accidents, in emergency medical care and in neurosurgical techniques have resulted in an increase in the TBI survival rate from 50 to 90 percent in the last 10 years," TRI Co-Director and professor Bonnie Todis stated. "[However,] the situation is complicated by the fact that children often appear to make good initial recoveries, but problems with learning, organization [and] emotional control show up at later developmental stages."

Todis believes that it is important for individuals to become more aware of TBI so that they may better understand its impact on children and young adults. "There are effective strategies to deal with the challenges of TBI, but in many cases these strategies are not applied because parents, children and teachers are not aware of what they're dealing with," Todis said.

The TRI introduced the Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury (PABI) Act of 2009 in mid-October, a resolution that both recognizes and endorses the SJBF. As a result of this new resolution, Killoran, Glang and Todis are hopeful for the future of TBI research and patient rehabilitation.

"Sarah Jane's story illustrates at least two important truths," Todis stated. "Number one, that serious, life-long disabilities can occur in any family at any time, [and] number two, that when parents are empowered as advocates for their children, they can make incredible things happen that benefit both their children and society."